Our anniversary had come around again at warp speed. This year we decided (for reasons I’ll elaborate on later) to visit Mystic Connecticut. I had heard about the famous “Mystic Seaport” for years, though I honestly didn’t really know what it was all about. Mystic is also home to a top notch Aquarium. Along with the prospect of some good food and drink, this town certainly seemed to have enough activities to hold our attention. Because we’re a bit touched, we decided to try and book a gig while we were down there. You know, just for fun! We somehow managed to convince a venue that we were: A.) Not Crazy and B.) Good enough to play there. Whew! Now, for the accommodations. I found an inn centrally located and reasonably priced. Looks like we’ve got a mini-break vacation here!
When we approached the property I was kind of disappointed. It wasn’t as cute as the last B&B we enjoyed in Portland. It was a bit sprawling and the reception area was not super charming.
The reception wing of the Whaler’s Inn
My unease was quickly relieved once we entered our room. It was perfect! They must have recently refurbished the space because it was absolutely pristine. The seaside theme was tasteful and elegant.
Spotless, white linens on the king bed.
Nautical Artwork
Roomy Wardrobe
The thing that really impressed me about the accommodations was the bathroom. The tile work, trim and fixtures were impeccable.
Powder Room
As someone who has lived with hopelessly outdated bathroom fixtures for more than a decade, this was an inspiration for an at home renovation. I took many pictures for reference. You can scroll right on by if you wish.
I did the requisite research about where to eat in while in Mystic. Of course the infamous Mystic Pizza came up. “See the place, skip the pizza” was mostly what I’d heard.
There ya go!
I would have thought that some waterfront seafood restaurant would have been number one on the list but I was wrong. The highest rated place was a Lebanese joint call The Pita Spot. You can’t argue with Trip Advisor!
The Pita Spot
The Pita Spot was off the beaten path, not anywhere near the cute store fronts in the center of town. However, the place itself was A-dorable.
Lovely Mediterranean touches.
Attractive, exposed kitchen.
We started the meal with a local brew.
Pita bread
We ordered both our dishes from a specials menu. The first was a sampler of popular starters.
Clockwise: Baba Ghannouj, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Hummus, Falafel Served with pickled turnips, wild Cucumber pickles and tahini (sesame paste) and in the center, Tabouli
Sambousek, perfectly seasoned meat pies.
Friends, this was by far the best Mediterranean food I’ve ever experienced. Everything was just phenomenal, but the stand out star was the Falafel. They were delightfully light and fluffy inside with a perfect chickpea crunch outside. Just dreamy! The little accompaniment of pickled salad and tahini was just right! We ate light because we were gearing up for a fancy meal at Foxwoods later on, or so we thought…(foreshadowing).
Yet another bathroom that’s a thousand percent cuter than mine.
With lunch on board, we trekked over to the Mystic Seaport.
Why, thank you!
I really didn’t have a grasp of what the Seaport was. I had assumed it would be a mixture of shops, historical buildings, and museums. The literature wasn’t all that clear. What it should have said was that it is a nineteenth century version of Plymouth Plantation. Now, that I get!
Welcome Center, where you’ll be leaving your fifty dollars.
Map of the Village.
The Seaport was pretty much empty of other tourists. It was a bit later in the afternoon, perhaps that was why.
Three fifteen, to be exact.
The homes and storefronts are all original historic buildings collected and moved on to this seventeen acre museum.
There was a sermon playing about the evils of Rum. Good thing I’m a Whiskey girl!
Unlike Plymouth Plantation, the staff do not attempt to put on the ruse that they are actually residents of this Nineteenth Century Seaport, they just work the there.
Awkward repartee avoided.
It wouldn’t be a seaport without boats, of course. Several of the vessels are the only survivors of their type in the world.
Dang, I wish I brought my watercolors….and that I could paint.
We walked through the sailing ship Charles W. Morgan, the only remaining wooden sailing Whaler.
I only have Mayflower ll to compare it to, but these digs seemed pretty swank in comparison. I guess 300 years yielded some progress in nautical accommodations.
Sky lights
Velvet sofa
A real bed.
Decorative details
WIFI. Pilgrims, be jelly!
Kidding aside, life on a whaling ship was far from a cushy life. Vessels were out to sea anywhere from six months to four years, or more. In addition to the grueling work of hunting whales and processing blubber (eww), the crews dealt with castaways, mutinies, desertions, floggings, drunkenness, scurvy, fever, collisions, fire at sea, drownings, hurricanes, tidal waves, shipwrecks, men falling from the masthead, hostile natives, barratry (fraud by a captain or crew at the expense of the shipowners), brutal skippers, and ships being crushed by ice. Stay in school, kids.
Whaling is no joke.
Whew, seems like we’re due for a rest and a tipple.
Pub, dead ahead!
The beer wasn’t really Five Cents. Filthy liars.
Ye Olde plastic cup o’ Sam Adams.
We sat for bit and though about life and existence.
Did I leave the iron on?
Guess who has the crappiest job at Mystic Seaport?
This lady.
The crappiest.
We stopped by a couple more purveyors before heading back for a rest. This printing press was manned by a couple of, well, girls. They really knew their stuff and gave us a run through of how they print promotional literature for special events.
The black smith was closing up, but she gave us a quick demonstration of how the bellows works. They were making some really cool shepherds hooks and hangers. I was hoping they would be selling them in the gift shop but no, they did not. They had fudge though!
Purchased on Craig’s List from Wile E. Coyote.
We wound our way out of the village and moseyed on back to the Whalers Inn for a wee nap before we ventured out to Foxwood’s for our splash out dinner at the Paragon Restaurant…or so we thought (even more foreshadowing).
G’bye Seaport!
Coming up next: Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and it’s just a dang shame.